Improvement in stocking supporter and clasp



C. O s'H ELBY. v Stocking Supporter and Glaap No. 209,778. "Patented Noy..l2,1878.'

NJ ETERS. PHOTO-LJTMOGRAFHER. WASHINGTON, D. O.

UNITED ST TES;

CHRISTOPHER O. SHELBY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN STOCKING SUPPORTER AND CLASP.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 209,778, dated November 12, 1878 application filed September 28, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHRISTOPHER O. SHEL- BY, of New York city, county, and State, have invented a certain new and Improved Stocking Supporter and Clasp; andI do hereby declare the following to be a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a plan; Fig. 2, a longitudinal section and Fig. 3 is a view of the button.

Similar letters of reference in the several figures indicate the same parts.

This invention is an improvement in clasps for stocking-supporters and in the mode of attaching the clasps to the supporters; and it consists, first, in a clasp constructed as hereinafter set forth; and, secondly, in the mode of foldingthe straps or supporters and securing them to the clasp so as to cover and conceal the back of the button, in the manner herein described and shown.

I11 the drawings, A represents a sheet-metal clasp, formed with two spring-jaws, a a, constructed by doubling or bending the metal along the line b and turning down the ends 0 0, so that when pressed together one will close behind the other and clamp the edge of the stocking or other garment securely between them. The sheet metal, before doubling, is slotted nearly from end to end, as represented at e e, in such manner that-when the metal is doubled to form the spring-jaws, an open slot will extend from the upper nearly to the lower end of the clasp, to admit and accommodate a doubled-headed sliding button, m. When the button has been inserted a wire loop, a, is passed through the double end in a socket formed to receive it, as shown in Fig. 2, which wire, loop, or link serves to hold the button in the slot, and also forms a means of connecting the clasp to the supporter-strap S. The jaws are closed by sliding the button toward them, and operate by their own spring recoil when the button is slid back toward the Wire link.

The form of the button which I prefer to .use is shown in Fig. 3, in which an is the outer or exposed head, and m the inner concealed head, the latter having hooks or spurs m whichpass through one thickness of the strap and are clinched on the opposite side, the clinched ends being concealed by another fold of the strap, as will be hereinafter explained.

The web or strap S of. the supporter is attached to the clasp in the following manner: The end of the web is first put through the loop n about five inches, then doubled back about half an inch to the points, so as to form a bite or loop with the link a in the end of it. The free end of the web, about four or four and one-halfinches in length, is then carried down by the head m and the prongs m are passed through it and clinched. A short distance beyond the button it is doubled back again at s and carried up to the body of the web at .9 where it is neatly stitched to the web. The folds thus formed are stitched through and through at the point or transverse line It, and also at the transverse line t and, if preferred, on each side of the button along the longitudinal lines t The prongs of the button are thus completely concealed, and theweb is interposed between the clasp and the person of the wearer, protecting the latter from any inconvenience or injury from the clasp.

The operation of this improved device is exceedingly simple, convenient, and effective. The button having been slipped back toward the link, thejaws open automatically. The edge of the stockings or other garment is then insertedbetween them and the button, and the end of the web slipped down again, when the jaws will be clamped so firmly upon the garment that it will tear before it will slip out. web covers and conceals the rear side of the button, preventing it from inconveniencing the wearer; and the attachment of the web to the button renders the device more easy and convenient of operation.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new 1. The spring-jaw clasp A, formed of a piece of metal doubled back on itself, and provided with a slot extending longitudinally from the doubled end nearly to the opposite end, in combination with the button m and the transverse link a, one part of which prevents the button from sliding out of the slot,and the other part of which serves as means for at- The taching the supportingwveb, substantially as s, carrying it forward to the point .9 and then described. back to the point 8 and stitching the parts to- 2. The combined web and sliding buttongether at t t, substantially as described. clasp, having the web attached to the clasp CHRISTOPHER O SHELBY [In and button, folded back in one continuous strip, "and stitched together in the manner Witnesses: herein describedthat is to say, by passing HENRY M. GOLDFAGLE, it through the link, foldingit back to the point HENRY FISHER. 

